A garment hanger

ABSTRACT

A garment hanger ( 10 ) with a body ( 12 ), a rotatable hook portion ( 24 ) and a childproof size marker ( 88 ) is disclosed. The body ( 12 ) is in a standard form for engaging and supporting one or more garments. The hook portion ( 24 ) includes a hook ( 26 ), generally of metal and a size marker retainer portion ( 106, 108 ) for releasably fixing the size marker ( 88 ) to the hook portion ( 24 ). There is also a connector portion ( 28 ) for connecting the hook portion ( 24 ) to the body ( 12 ) and this can be in the form of a pair of protrusions ( 76, 78 ) forming an axle ( 80 ) which engages two apertures ( 40, 42 ) in the hook portion. This allows the hook portion ( 24 ) and the size marker ( 88 ), to rotate from a working condition, where the hook ( 26 ) is vertical, to a storage condition where the hook ( 26 ) is horizontal.

The present invention relates to a garment hanger and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a garment hanger with a collapsible hook and childproof size marker.

The use of garment hangers with collapsible or foldable hooks has been known for a long time and there popularity has increased in recent times with the desire to transport garments on the hanger but to do so with the garments stored in a box. The collapsible hook minimises the space taken up by the hanger thereby saving on packaging and transportation costs.

An example of such a garment hanger of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,393. The hanger disclosed in this document is formed from four separate components which include a metal hook and hanger body which are substantially as standard to most such hangers. However, at the top of the body, where the hook and body are joined, a circular aperture is located extending perpendicular to the main plane of the hanger. Into this aperture a cylinder of solid plastic, referred to as a “drum” in the patent, is inserted and this cylinder can rotate within the circular aperture. The hook is then fixed into this the cylinder and the hook is therefore able to rotate relative to the hanger body. The final component, the size marker, is then slid over the hook and fixes to the hanger body.

Unfortunately, the nature of this hanger means that a standard size marker cannot be used and a slit must be formed from the aperture in the top extending down one side. This removal of material from such a small component results in a reduction in the rigidity of the size marker. This in turn makes it vulnerable to accidental removal which is particularly undesirable as size markers should be childproof to reduce the risk of choking on this small component.

Furthermore, the mould used for creating the body of the hanger is complex due to the presence of the drum which requires a sliding core, a part of the mould which must move out of the way to allow the formed body to be removed from the mould. Such sliding cores are expensive to include in a moulding tool and are prone to damage.

A further disadvantage of this hanger of the prior art is the complexity of assembly. The method of assembly requires that the cylinder of plastic is inserted into the circular aperture in the body before the hook is inserted into the cylinder. As a result, the metal hook is being inserted into a small and movable component. This makes the precise insertion of the hook into this component difficult to complete with the accuracy that is required to ensure that the hook is correctly held by the cylinder and the cylinder has not distorted making its rotation within the circular aperture difficult.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome or alleviate the above described disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment hanger comprising:

a body for engaging and supporting a garment; a hook portion including a suspension portion for suspending the hanger from a rail, a size marker retaining portion for releasably fixing a size marker to said hook portion and a first connector portion for connecting the hook portion and body such that said hook portion, and said size marker attached thereto, can move from a working condition in which said suspension portion can be suspended from a rail to a storage condition in which said suspension portion has been rotated towards said body.

By having a first connector portion which allows both the suspension portion (the metal hook) and the size marker, attached to the first connector portion, to move between the working and storage conditions provides the advantage that a standard size marker can be used on a collapsible hanger. In particular, the size marker that is used has four full faces of plastic material (front, rear and two side faces) and is therefore rigid in its construction ensuring that it stays fixed to the hanger. Because this size marker can be of a standard type its childproofing properties are well known having been tried and tested for a significant period of time. Furthermore, the hanger described above has the suspension means (the metal hook) inserted onto the first connector portion before the hook portion is connected to the body. As a result, the connection between the suspension means and the first connector portion can be more precisely controlled ensuring that the torque required to turn the metal hook relative to the first connector portion is within the correct range.

In a preferred embodiment the storage condition is substantially perpendicular to said working condition.

By having the storage condition perpendicular to the working condition the advantages provided that the hook is moved to minimise the total height of the hanger.

In another preferred embodiment the first connector comprises apertures extending at least partially into said hook portion and said body further comprises at least one second connector portion comprising protrusions extending from said body and forming an axle.

In a further preferred embodiment the body portion further comprises a flange having said protrusions extending therefrom.

Both the hook portion and the body may be at least partially moulded from at least one thermoplastic material.

The hanger may further comprise a size marker retained on said hook portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment hanger comprising:

a body for engaging and supporting a garment and having a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom thereby forming an axle; and a hook portion including a suspension portion for suspending the hanger from a rail and a connector portion having at least one aperture for receiving said protrusions such that said hook can rotate at least partially around said axle.

By forming protrusions on the hanger body to create an axle and indentations or apertures on a hook portion to receive the protrusions the advantage is provided connector portion can be made sufficiently large that a size marker can be attached to and move with the connector portion. As a result, the size marker can move with the suspension portion (the metal hook) allowing a standard size marker, with known childproofing properties to be used. Furthermore, the hanger described above has the suspension means (the metal hook) inserted onto the first connector portion before the hook portion is connected to the body. As a result, the connection between the suspension means and the first connector portion can be more precisely controlled ensuring that the torque required to turn the metal hook relative to the first connector portion is within the correct range.

The hanger may further comprise a size marker retaining portion for releasably fixing a size marker to said hook portion.

In a preferred embodiment the body further comprises at least one flange having said protrusions extending therefrom.

In another preferred embodiment the protrusions and apertures extend substantially perpendicular to a plane of said body.

In a further preferred embodiment the hook portion and said body are both at least partially moulded from at least one thermoplastic material.

The hanger may also further comprise a size marker retained on said hook portion.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not and in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are front views of a hanger of the present invention in working and storage conditions;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views equivalent to those of FIGS. 1 and 2 with the addition of a size marker;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views from different angles of components of the hanger of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the hanger of FIGS. 3 and 4 including the size marker;

FIG. 8 is a perspective sectional view, along the line A-A, of a component as shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective part sectional view of a size marker used with the hanger of the present invention.

Referring to the figures, a garment hanger 10 is formed including a body 12 which in use engages and supports one or more garments being suspended from a rail (not shown). In the example shown in the figures the hanger is of a type known as a “tops hanger” which is designed for supporting lightweight garments such as T-shirts, shirts, blouses, vests, lightweight jackets and lightweight knitwear and the like. However, the hanger body could be of any form familiar to person skilled in the art including, but not limited to, jacket hangers, trouser and other bottoms hangers and hangers with clips for gripping garments. In the example shown in the figures the body 12 of the hanger 10 has a central portion 14 and a pair of arms 16 and 18 extending therefrom. Other detailed features such as the notches 20 in the arms 16 and 18 and the secondary hanger attachment 22 are included in the hanger 10 but do not form part of this invention. The body 12 is formed having an I-shaped cross-section familiar to person skilled in the art. However, the shape of the cross-section of the body 12 is not significant in the operation of the present invention and other shaped cross-sections, including but not limited to, C-shaped and U-shaped and T-shaped, may be used.

The hanger 10 also includes a hook portion 24 which is, in this example, formed in two parts from a suspension portion, in the form of metal hook 26, and a first connector portion 28. The metal hook 26 is of a standard type familiar to persons skilled in the art and is used to suspend the hanger 10 from a rail (not shown).

An aperture 30 in first connector portion 28 receives a straight portion 32 of metal hook 26. The method of joining the metal hook 26 with the aperture 30 of first connector portion 28 can be any suitable method familiar to persons skilled in the art and in this example is by hot insertion where the straight end 32 of the metal hook 26 is heated to a temperature sufficiently high to melt the thermoplastic used to form the first connector portion 28. As a result, when the heated straight portion 32 of metal hook 26 is inserted into the aperture 30 plastic material melts and moulds around the end of the metal hook 26 before re-solidifying and gripping the metal hook 26. The part of the straight portion 32 of metal hook 26 that is buried within the aperture 30 typically has a ribbed or knurled formation which increases the surface area in engagement with the plastic improving the grip and preventing the metal hook 26 being removed without a significant force, well beyond the expected weight of any garment, being applied. The aperture 30 is formed in a boss 34 which is cylindrical and of sufficient length to cover the part of the straight portion 32 of metal hook 26 which is inserted therein.

Also forming part of the first connector portion 28 are a pair of substantially semicircular plates 36 and 38 which have respective apertures 40 and 42 formed therein just below the junction between the semicircular plates 36 and 38 and the boss 34. In FIGS. 5 and 6 the aperture 40 in plate 36 is clearly visible. However, the aperture 42 in plate 38 is less visible but is located opposite the aperture 40 so that the two apertures 40 and 42 form an opening extending through the first connector portion 28. As can be seen on FIG. 7 the semicircular plates 36 and 38 have substantially planar outer surfaces 44 and 46 but the surfaces 48 and 50 of the inside of plates 36 and 38 are non-planar. The thickness of the walls of the semicircular plates 36 and 38, as measured from the outer surfaces 44 and 46 to the inner surfaces 48 and 50 respectively, varies the gap 52 between the plates. This thickness varies the gap into five distinct zones with the smallest gap 52 being adjacent the outer edges of the semicircular plates in the outer zones 54 and 56. The middle zone 58 has the largest gap, and therefore the thinnest walls, and is located below the apertures 40 and 42 and the boss 34. Located between the outer zones 54 and 56 and the middle zone 58 are the intermediate zones 60 and 62 which have a smaller gap than the middle zone and a larger gap than the outer zones. The purpose of these zones will be explained further in the description below.

The formation of the body 12 is generally standard except for a part of the central portion 14 in which the two ribs 64 and 66, which extend forward and backward from the planar surface 68, to form the top of the “I” of the I-shaped cross-section extend in a semicircular form downwards from the top of the hanger to form semicircular ribs 70 and 72 which are sized to be slightly larger than the semicircular plates 36 and 38 of the connector portion 28. Extending from these semicircular ribs 70 and 72 is a flange 74. Formed as approximately a quarter of a circle this flange 74 is coplanar with the surface 68 which forms the vertical portion in the I-shaped cross-section of central portion 14 and has a substantially vertical and a substantially horizontal edge. The flange 74 has a pair of circular protrusions 76 and 78 extending from either side of it and these together form an axle 80. The parts of the semicircular protrusions 76 and 78 which are furthest away from the flange 74 are angled towards each other to form a pair of cam or ratchet surfaces. Further features of the flange 74 include two thickened portions 82 and 84 which are located at either end of the quarter circumference of flange 74 at the greatest radius adjacent the ribs 70 and 72. The flange 74 also has a cutaway 86 located just above the thickened portion 82 on the vertical edge of flange 74. Because the flange 74 is approximately a quarter circle there is a further quarter circle of the semicircular ribs 70 and 72 not covered by the flange. Instead, a small rib 87 extends into the space above the semicircular ribs 70 and 72 which helps to guide the semicircular plates 36 and 38.

Returning to the connector portion 28, this component is provided with at least one size marker retaining portion for retaining a size marker 88. This size marker, as shown in FIG. 9, is of the type disclosed in the International patent application published under the number WO2006/005467, which is hereby included by reference. The size marker 88 has two trapezoidal faces 90 and 92, the planes of which are parallel to one another and two rectangular faces 94 and 96, set at an angle to one another. Extending from the rectangular faces 94 and 96 are two tabs 98 and 100 and extending from the inner surfaces of the two trapezoidal faces are to retaining protrusions 102 and 104. These features of the size marker 88 engage further features of the connector portion 28 described below. The retaining protrusions 102 and 104 extend into respective slots 106 and 108 in the connector portion 28. The engagement of these protrusions in the slots prevents the accidental vertical movement of the size marker 88 when it is in place on the hanger 10.

Further movement of the size marker 88 is prevented by a series of flanges. Firstly, a pair of flanges 110 and 112 extend upwards from the upper edges of the semicircular plates 36 and 38 at an angle to match the inner surfaces of the rectangular faces 94 and 96 of size marker 88. The outermost edges of these flanges 110 and 112 engage the inner bottom corners where the trapezoidal and rectangular faces 90, 92, 94 and 96 of size marker 88 meet, thereby preventing the size marker being twisted and/or distorted which may cause the retaining protrusions 102 and 104 to become disengaged from the slots 106 and 108. Further flanges 114 and 116 extend from the boss 34 in a plane parallel to those of the semicircular plates 36 and 38 and together form a shape similar to the trapezoidal faces 90 and 92 of size marker 88. These flanges 114 and 116 help to strengthen the boss 34 and their outermost angled edges assist in preventing sliding movement of the size marker 88 as do the tabs 98 and 100 which engage the boss 34.

Operation of the hanger 10 will now be described. The three components of hanger 10, the body 12, the metal hook 26 and the connector portion 28 together with the size marker 88 are all formed in a manner familiar to persons skilled in the art. For the components, excluding the metal hook 26, this is by injection moulding using one or more thermoplastic materials. The metal hook 26 and the connector portion 28 are brought together in a manner familiar to persons skilled in the art and this is typically by hot insertion. Once the metal hook 26 is fixed to the connector portion 28 this hook portion 24 is brought into engagement with the body 12. This is achieved by aligning the middle zone 58 of the gap 52 with the axle 80 such that the angled cam surfaces of the protrusions 76 and 78 are aligned with the middle zone 58. This results in the straight portion 32 of the metal hook 26 being at an angle of 45° to the vertical (halfway between the working and storage conditions, explained below). As the hook portion 24 and the body 12 are brought together the protrusions 76 and 78 extend into the gap 52 and temporarily cause the semicircular plates 36 and 38 to move apart as these protrusions are guided up the middle zone 58 until they reach the apertures 40 and 42. When the protrusions 76 and 78 extend into the apertures 40 and 42 the axle 80 allows rotation of the hook portion 24 relative to the body 12.

This rotation can be between a working condition in, which the straight portion 32 of metal hook 26 extends vertically upwards (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) and a storage condition in which the straight portion 32 is substantially horizontal having turned through approximately 90° (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4). If required, the size marker 88 is slid over the metal hook 26 and into engagement with the connector portion 28 so that the retaining protrusions 102 and 104 extend into the slots 106 and 108. The size marker is now fixed to the hook portion 24 and rotation of the hook portion 24 around axle 80 causes the rotation of the metal hook portion 26, the connector portion 28 and the size marker 88 through approximately 90° between the working and storage conditions. The cutaway portion 86 is provided to act as a stop allowing the full rotation through 90°. The thickened portions 82 and 84 of flange 74 engage the narrowest portions of the gap 52 in the outer zones 54 and 56 thereby creating some resistance to movement of the hook portion 24 relative to the body portion 12 when the hook portion is in either the working or storage conditions. This prevents the hook portion 24 from flapping.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the protection which is defined by the appended claims. For example, the apertures 40 and 42 could not fully extend through the semicircular plates 36 and 38 by being formed as recesses. Furthermore, although the above embodiment has been described with the hook portion 24 formed from two components of a metal hook 26 and a connector portion 28 the hook portion 24 could be formed from a single component moulded as a single piece of thermoplastic. 

1. A garment hanger comprising: a body for engaging and supporting a garment; a hook portion including a suspension portion for suspending the hanger from a rail, a size marker retaining portion for releasably fixing a size marker to said hook portion and a first connector portion for connecting the hook portion and body such that said hook portion, and said size marker attached thereto, can move from a working condition in which said suspension portion can be suspended from a rail to a storage condition in which said suspension portion has been rotated towards said body.
 2. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said storage condition is substantially perpendicular to said working condition.
 3. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said first connector comprises apertures extending at least partially into said hook portion and said body further comprises at least one second connector portion comprising protrusions extending from said body and forming an axle.
 4. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said body further comprises a flange having said protrusions extending therefrom.
 5. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said hook and said body portion are both at least partially moulded from at least one thermoplastic material.
 6. A hanger according to claim 1, further comprising a size marker retained on said hook.
 7. A garment hanger comprising: a body for engaging and supporting a garment and having a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom thereby forming an axle; and a hook portion including a suspension portion for suspending the hanger from a rail and a connector portion having at least one aperture for receiving said protrusions such that said hook portion can rotate at least partially around said axle.
 8. A hanger according to claim 7, further comprising a size marker retaining portion for releasably fixing a size marker to said hook portion.
 9. A hanger according to claim 7, wherein said body further comprises at least one flange having said protrusions extending therefrom.
 10. A hanger according to claim 9, wherein said protrusions and apertures extend substantially perpendicular to a plane of said body.
 11. A hanger according to claim 7, wherein said hook and said body are both at least partially moulded from at least one thermoplastic material.
 12. A hanger according to claim 7, further comprising a size marker retained on said hook portion.
 13. (canceled) 